King of the Wind

King of the Wind is based on the real 18th-century Godolphin Arabian horse, whose lineage influenced modern racing breeds. The narrative explores cross-cultural exchange through Africa, France, and England at the time, showing how animals and people moved across continents within global trade and aristocratic competition. The famous horse lived from about 1724 to 1753, dying at about age 29. Many legends about the Godolphin Arabian have sprouted up to supplement the sparse but remarkable historical details about his journey across cultures and continents. In Henry’s account, the horse is born in Morocco and sent to France as a gift from the sultan. The historical Sultan Moulay Ismail Ibn Sharif (spelled Mulai Ismael in the story) ruled from 1672 to 1727 and had diplomatic relations with French leaders, but evidence suggests that the horse may have been born in Yemen and then gifted to King Louis XV by the ruler of Tunisia. The horse was gifted to Louis XV, and historical records from the Vicomte de Manty, who saw the Godolphin Arabian in the king’s stables, offer information about the animal’s state when he arrived in France: “He was […] a horse of incomparable beauty whose only flaw was being headstrong. An essentially strong stallion type, his quarters broad in spite of being half-starved, tail carried in true Arabian style” (“The Godolphin Arabian.” Leicester Galleries, 2020). Although the monarch would have been 20 years old when the Arabian was presented to him in 1730, Henry chose to make the king a child “about the same age as the horseboys” to highlight the impact that the class differences between Agba and the king have on the two characters (71). 

Contemporary sources describe how emaciated the Arabian looked upon its arrival at the French court, which likely resulted from the taxing sea voyage from Africa to Europe as discussed in the novel. However, the part of the novel in which the illustrious horse is reduced to hauling a cart in Paris draws from popular legends rather than proven facts.

The Godolphin Arabian’s fame grew after he was brought to England, and his legacy continues to this day. In Henry’s version, Mr. Jethro Coke of London plays the role of the historical Mr. Edward Coke, who purchased the horse in France and took him to his estate in Derbyshire. Coke also owned the mare Roxana, who bore the Arabian’s son, Lath. Whereas the fictional Mr. Jethro Coke sold the horse to Mr. Roger Williams, the real Mr. Roger Williams received the Godolphin Arabian when his friend Mr. Edward Coke died at age 32. Coke bequeathed Roxana and Lath to the Earl of Godolphin, and the earl acquired the Arabian from Williams in 1733. Francis Godolphin lived from 1678 to 1766 and is the horse’s namesake. An English politician who sat in the House of Commons, he also engaged in philanthropic efforts, such as the establishment of the Foundling Hospital. In King of the Wind, Henry incorporates the earl’s charitable work into the plot by having him free the unjustly imprisoned Agba and offer him and Sham a home at Gog Magog. Some aspects of the novel are rooted in legend rather than fact, such as the Arabian’s battle with Hobgoblin over Roxana. However, contemporary records and art note the white mark on the horse’s hind leg and his friendship with a cat named Grimalkin, both of which figure prominently in King of the Wind. As Henry discusses, the Godolphin Arabian fathered many acclaimed racehorses, including Lath and Regulus, and is now honored as the ancestor of many of today’s most exceptional Thoroughbred horses. Henry’s novel draws upon both verified facts and popular legends about the Godolphin Arabian, showing how the famous horse has held an important place in both history and the popular imagination for centuries.